Sometimes an opening is not as grand as hoped for, especially when it is delayed. At the Sept. 3 meeting of the Old Library Accessibility Committee, members worried that the building’s new accessible front entrance would not be usable in time for the first event scheduled in the newly renovated building Sept. 12. Unfortunately, those worries became a reality, and the Cultural Council event for that date had to be canceled. Although the remaining work might be done in time, it also might take longer.
In addition to fixing a problem with the front doors, the general contractor, Rinaldi Inc., needs to fix a hardware issue with one of the bathroom doors and clean the interior of the building as specified in the contract.
The problem with the front doors was created when the committee found tiles original to the building under a carpet in the old entryway, and decided to reuse some of the tiles in the new entryway. The tiles added about a half-inch of additional height to the floor. As a result, once the threshold is installed, the front doors will have to be cut down in order to close.
The bathroom door problem could prevent one of the building’s two bathrooms from being usable. Committee member Mark Mikitarian said if the door lock isn’t set to the proper position when an occupant leaves the bathroom, a screwdriver is needed to open the door from the outside. Members believe the front door and the bathroom door work will need to be complete before the town can receive a certificate of occupancy for the building.
According to Assistant Town Administrator Marie Sobalvarro, the certificate of occupancy would be needed for any event to be held in the building.
Committee Chair Lucy Wallace said the clerk of works for the project, Harvard resident Carl Sciple, should instruct Rinaldi to fix the front doors, clean the building, and set up the inspection needed for the certificate in time for the event. Member Chris Cutler said the tiles should be complete by Friday, and he thinks it will take two days to fix the doors. But there was no guarantee these things would be done by the Sept. 12.
Cutler also told the group that the punch list, the list of items that have to be completed before final payment is made, is only about 15% done. He added that many of the items are small, and he thought two people could complete most of the list in a day. One item that will take longer to complete is the electronic card key system. In mid-August, the committee learned the system would not work with the existing door hardware. Installation of additional door hardware and hooking up the card reader will be done outside the contract with Rinaldi, and the committee is planning to meet with a potential contractor Sept. 5.
